WEB DESK
A UN report has said that fuel is being shipped illegally from Iran to Houthi Shiite rebels in Yemen to finance their war against the government. The report, submitted by a UN panel of experts to the Security Council, said it found that the fuel was loaded from Iranian ports under false documentation to avoid required UN inspections. It added that the revenue from the sale of this fuel is being used to finance the Houthi war effort.
The report paints a grim picture of a deeply fractured country sliding toward humanitarian and economic catastrophe with no sign of victory by either side. The conflict is viewed by international bodies as a proxy war between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa by the Iranian-backed Houthis, who toppled the government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
A Saudi-led coalition allied with Hadi’s internationally-recognised government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.
The fighting in the Arab world’s poorest country has taken a terrible toll on civilians, with thousands killed and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis underway. Millions suffer from food and medical care shortages and the country has been pushed to the brink of famine.